UC Merced VS UCSD

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>i see… thank you for your criticism. I really appreciate it.</p>

<p>First of all, the reason why I decided to go to CC was because I didn’t want to waste 2 years of my life studying pre-requisites… I only spent 1 year in cc. Second reason was so that I wanted to save money. I saved about 20 grand going to CC for 1 year instead of going to UCI, which I was accepted to. To many of you guys, 20 grand is nothing, but to me that’s a fortune…</p>

<p>The reason why I am getting concerned is because, my friends who have applied to top business schools, got rejected because they did not have good enough GPA… All of them told me to pretty much go to easy UC and get a good GPA… These guys were students who attended IVY league schools as undergrads or who went to other top tier public schools…</p>

<p>Anyways… you guys helped me make the decision. Thanks guys.</p>

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<p>Practically you should not think of UCM as one of the UCs. In my opinion, UCM might be even worse than many CCs in terms of academic environment. Going to an easier UC doesn’t mean you will get a higher GPA. It’s not like you are choosing between Berkeley and UCSD. Going to UCM might cause you slack off really bad.</p>

<p>Think about it. Even if you choose UCM over UCSD for the easiness, and finally get a perfect GPA at UCM, you won’t be prepared to do well in the graduate school you may possibly get in. There will be a possiblity that you cannot get any nice job because of your bad grades in graduate school. </p>

<p>Sorry to say that, but I don’t think what your friends said is right. It is so true that you should really challenge yourself in college if you aim for top graduate schools; but the reality everyone has to face is that even if you do challenge yourself, you may end up not getting into your dream graduate school. Moreover, in case you have never thought of it, going to UCM might leave you no chance to get into any graduate school, not to mention the top ones.</p>

<p>I see that you want to save money, but you have to make your choice.</p>

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<p>As I recall, according to Statfinder, Berkeley and UCLA’s students have the highest average GPAs at graduation. This could be a result of the higher caliber of student, of course, but it’s telling nonetheless.</p>

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<p>I didn’t read the whole thread, but do you have any middle choices? UCSC, UCD, UCR, UCI? All are much more reputable than UCM, but they are also a bit easier to get a high GPA at than UCSD.</p>

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<p>just push yourself and get a 3.8 at ucsd.</p>

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<p>UCM is a very very small campus . I’d suggest you visit it first , and look around . If you can’t visit it , then just keep in mind a smaller campus wont have as many classes( and for UCM i don’t think they have any graduate classes)- you can take those as an undergrad with instructor permission .</p>

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<p>

On what experience, exactly, do you base this dubious advice and opinion?</p>

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<p>Need to correct my previous post
UCM does have a graduate program, but the class selection will be more limited</p>

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<p>Well, I guess you are right about that being a dubious opinion. Since most of my CC friends, who have in part made up the academic environment I experience here, are going to either Berkeley, LA or SD, I assume I would be less likely to experience a comparable academic environment in UCM, if I was ever going to there.</p>

<p>That being said, I believe it won’t matter so much if a person knows clearly what he’s going for in college and after college. I sure understand that some people including the OP wish that the difference between UCSD and UCM could be nullified, but I really suggest thinking twice before making the final decision.</p>

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<p>I’ve read basically, the whole post and all of the answers. </p>

<p>I’m a current UCSD student and I transferred here last fall. I too, would probably have said/thought the same things as everyone here had I not experienced UCSD for myself. Most of my CC friends are @ UCB, a few @ UCLA, and a few @ various other UC’s. </p>

<p>I think, it’s important to note that the transition from the semester system to the quarter system is INCREDIBLY different and takes time. I’ve met transfers who are doing extremely well and I’ve met some that are not doing so well. </p>

<p>A few of my friends are actually in the poli-sci department and their performance at UCSD is varied. I think it really boils down to how hard you want to work and study. Well UCSD is obviously, hands down, the more prestigious university - that does not mean it does not come with its own catch 22. All of the students that I know that are doing well have to study their butts off and worry and stress constantly. My roommate who is a poli-sci major is CONSTANTLY studying. You can find many more students studying on a Friday night instead of partying and/or having fun. I find that my weekends are MORE stressful than the regular school nights because I have to mentally prep myself and make lists of what needs to be accomplished during the weekend for my upcoming midterms/papers/readings/etc…</p>

<p>I personally would go with the less prestigious UCM and WHO CARES if you could have gone there straight from high school…just because it isn’t a good school NOW doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. I have faith in UC Merced…it will go up in rankings. I mean, look at UCSD…it had to start somewhere too…it’s open been around for 50 years and look at all the things that have been established since then! (In comparison, UCSC was opened around the same time, and people still do not think too highly of that school). A higher GPA would be preferable to struggling at UCSD. At UCSD, you will be one of MANY, MANY students who are JUST as smart as you or smarter. Everyone here is HIGHLY motivated (not to say you aren’t) and HIGHLY competitive. It’s an atmosphere that is very stressful and I have not met anyone at UCSD who is not stressed out when midterm season comes around (and doesn’t stop until finals, I might add) - the quarter system is just go-go-go-go. (Unless you have an easy major - like communications or something)…</p>

<p>If that sounds like a challenge and you’re up for it…by all means, come here, but if not…go to UCM on a full ride, save your GPA, take advantage of the quarter system (where you’ll have more time to better grasp your material, etc.) Smaller class sizes = better chances to get to know your professors who will then write better letters of rec FOR GRAD school. Something to think about. </p>

<p>It’s up to you, but honestly, in the end it’s your life. Rankings are overrated. I honestly just want to ■■■■ of UCSD ASAP.</p>

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<p>An0623, mightni ask what you meant by “Unless you have an easy major - like communications or something”?? </p>

<p>I’m a comm major, just interested to know how the major is at SD…</p>

<p>Oops, sorry for the thread jack!</p>

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<p>wow, thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it.</p>

<p>I’ve made my decision now.</p>

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<p>@thisisu: I think that the comm major @ UCSD is not as competitive as the other majors so I feel like those in that major are not as pressured in comparison to bio majors or more popular majors…</p>

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<p>Where did you decide to go, moonpaulsj?</p>

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<p>Sounds like the OP is going to Merced. Seems like he/she was always going to go to Merced and just needed some reassurance from all y’all. Go where your gut tells you to go</p>

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<p>Well, it really depends on your major and what kind of job you want to get. Employers in some fields place more value on the name of your school, so does the admissions of many MBA programs. Bear in mind that there are a lot of graduates out there with a GPA of 3.8+ who are applying to top business schools for graduate study. And looking at the profiles of admitted students, we can see how much they value a school name rather than just a GPA. </p>

<p>As college students, I hope we are on the same page and understand self-discipline is something expected of us. What students a school is accepting makes up why a student will want to go to that school. If we want to get admitted into a highly competitive MBA program, then we will first have to show the admissions our success in a comparably competitive college.</p>

<p>After all, the only thing that matters is whether you have the heart or not. This is not something giving advice can help with.</p>

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<p>I still don’t get why you don’t have any middle options. Did you only apply to UCSD and UCM for some reason? It doesn’t make much sense to me. Any of the middle UC’s–UCSC, UCD, UCR, UCSB–could be your perfect middle ground choice.</p>

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<p>Hey, if moonpaulsj chose Merced, no problem. Getting a full ride at Merced would be enough to get me over there. My experience at UC Davis hasn’t exactly been skittles and beer. Class sizes are ridiculously huge, and I’ve only met one or two engineering professors of whom I got the impression were eager to help. Most others would say during office hours, “Well, if you look at the solutions I provided at the beginning of the year…” I went to a CCC, where I was taught to avoid looking at the solutions like the plague. Now it’s a first resort. Too many of my professors wanted no student interaction. Somehow, I had the credentials to get into grad school with a letter of recommendation of one UC professor, one postdoc, and my community college engineering instructor. I can’t wait until I graduate on June 10th.</p>

<p>(end of rant)</p>

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<p>@ Eiffel. I was thinking the same thing… then again… my options are between UCR & Cal lol</p>

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<p>@amsstory I’ve made my decision but I don’t want to post it on cc.com because I feel like I am going to get flamed for doing so… @Eiffel I do not like the school environment of the middle choices I have, especially Santa Barbara, Irvine, and Riverside. I just don’t like it… It’s difficult to explain… It will probably take more than a 10 page essay in order to explain my discomfort at those areas, especially Irvine… I didn’t apply to Davis and SC. My first choice was UCLA but got rejected…</p>